Cora Jean Simmons
Cora Jean Simmons is a fictional character in many Tyler Perry Productions. She is a single devoted christian mother to Lisa and Tina, and she's also the only living daughter and child of Madea. She is potrayed by Tamela Mann. Background Information Cora was born in Sheridan Hospital in the year 1953. She works at the Pandora Hotel as of in Madea's Class Reunion. It is said that Mr. Brown is her father, but revealed in Tyler Perry's Madea's Big Happy Family The Movie on Maury that he isn't. She has two daughters named Lisa and Tina who appeared in Tyler Perry's Madea's Family Reunion The Play, but mentioned countless times. She has two siblings named Michelle and William who were mentioned in Tyler Perry's I Can Do Bad All By Myself The Play, Tyler Perry's Diary of a Mad Black Woman The Play, and Tyler Perry's Diary of a Mad Black Woman The Movie. Michelle was a drunk and never paid any attention to her children. William was a wealthy man who took care of his wife and kids. Her daughter Lisa got married to her boyfriend, A.J. and Tina had a son named Shemar. She has 5 nieces named Vianne portrayed by Kisha Grandy, Maylee portrayed by Donna Stewart, Helen portrayed by Kimberly Elise, Gina, and Jackie portrayed by D' Atra Hicks. She has one sister in law, Myrtle Simmons portrayed by Cicely Tyson. She has 5 uncles named Joe and Heathrow portrayed by Tyler Perry, Frederick, Willie, and Pete and an aunt named Irene. 4 cousins named Bam portrayed by Cassi Davis, Shirley portrayed by Chandra Curelley, Sheila portrayed by Cheryl Pepsii Riley, and Sonny portrayed by Christian Keys. Play In the play, Cora first appears in I Can Do Bad All by Myself '''as the middle-aged Aunt of her two nieces, Maylee and Vianne. She gives them Godly wisdom, and attempts to lead them down the right path while avoiding the agressive methods of her mother. Madea reveals that she was brought up right after a failed attempt with her older sister who died sometime before the play began. Cora goes on to appear in other plays as well, revealing she has two adult daughters of her own, Tina Simmons and Lisa Simmons in '''Family Reunion '''who were raped by her late husband, unknowingly to her. She also has a grandchild by Tina, a baby her daughter neglects to care for at times. She refers to her daughters in Meet the Browns when Brown tries to lecture her on men. In the plays, Cora is first 50 years old in I Can Do Bad All by Myself and Class Reunion. She is shown to be much older in Family Renunion, having grayish hair, meaning it does not take place chronologically before Meet the Browns in which Cora states she is fifty-two. Her ages in the other plays are not revealed, though, she is still in her fifties in each. TV Series In the television series, Cora is no longer the middle-aged mother of two kids, but Brown's daughter who seems to have known him quite well throughout their childhood, despite the two just figuring they were related not too long ago. Differences in the series is that her kids are nonexistent, and she has never been on a date until the series when a young man is interested in her. Her age has changed as well, and implied somewhere in her forties. Since Brown is said to be in his mid sixties and she was born to him and Madea around the same time, she would be in her late forties instead of her fifties. Cora is also more child-like, while in the play she takes more of a motherly and authoritative role, however, this could be because of her overbearing father who is shown to be very overprotective of her. Family * Mable (Madea) Simmons (Mother) * Joe (Uncle) * William Simmons (Younger Brother) * Michelle Simmons- Griffin (Older Sister) * Nicki Grady (Adoptive Sister) * Brian Simmons (Cousin) * Victoria Breaux (Cousin) * Sonny Andrews (Cousin) * Lisa (Daughter) * Tina (Daughter) * Helen (Niece) * Jackie (Niece) * Gina (Niece) * Vianne Griffin (Niece) * Maylee Griffin (Niece) * Keisha Griffin (Grand Niece) * Shemar (Granddaughter) Appearances '''1999, I Can Do Bad All By Myself (Play) 2002, Madea's Family Reunion (Play) 2003, Madea's Class Reunion 2005, (cameo) Diary of a Mad Black Woman (Movie) 2005, Meet the Browns (Play) 2006, (recurring) Tyler Perry's House of Payne ''' '''2007, What's Done in the Dark 2008, Meet the Browns (Movie) 2009, Madea Goes to Jail (Movie) 2009, Meet the Browns (T.V. Show) 2011, Madea's Big Happy Family (Movie) 2019, Madea's Farewell Tour http://tylerperry.com/ Category:Character Pages